6 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh sage or 1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, halved
Remove giblets and neck from turkey, place in refrigerator for use in gravy, if desired. Rinse turkey with cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a lightly greased roasting pan. Lift wing tips up and over back and tuck under bird.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, combine butter and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub 2 tbsp seasoned butter inside turkey cavity. Place onion, celery and garlic inside turkey cavity. Rub remaining 4 tbsp seasoned butter all over outside of turkey, legs and all. Tie ends of legs together with heavy string or tuck under flap of skin around tail.
Bake uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees. Shield turkey with aluminum foil towards end of cooking in necessary to prevent over browning.
Transfer turkey to a serving platter, reserving drippings for Bourbon Gravy. Let turkey stand covered with foil at least 15 minutes before carving.
Bourbon Gravy:
Giblets and neck reserved from turkey to make broth
*note: Substitute canned chicken broth instead if desired
Pan drippings from turkey
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp bourbon
Combine giblets, neck and 3 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a biol, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or until giblets are tender. Strain, reserving broth. Discard turkey neck (and giblets, unless you want to add them to the gravy later)
Add reserved broth (2 cups) to turkey pan drippings; stir until browned bits are loosen from bottom of roasting pan. Transfer broth and drippings to a saucepan. Add giblets at this time if you are using them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes. Combine flour and 1/2 cup water, stirring until blended, gradually stir into gravy. Bring to a boil, boil 1 minute or longer until thickened. Stir garlic powder and bourbon into remaining gravy. Serve hot.
My picture does not do this turkey justice! When I made this I used a fresh, whole turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. It was too close to Thanksgiving to cook a whole turkey but I wanted to experiment with this recipe so I only used the breast. I had to cut the ingredients in thirds to down size for just the breast portion and it turned out perfect! This turkey breast was so tender and juicy and the herbs gave the meat a great flavor. Whenever I cook a turkey at Christmas I just usually rinse it off, butter it and then salt and pepper it really good before I put it in the oven and it makes for a nice, moist bird. Now that I have tried this recipe I think I will definitely use this from now on. It was easy to prepare and really enhances the flavor of the turkey. It was a hit at the Davis dinner table!
As for the bourbon gravy, it was a nice compliment to the meat without having a heavy bourbon taste. I could slightly taste it because I knew it was in there but if you have some guest who would be turned off by the fact that there is liquor in your gravy, they wouldn't even know unless you told them. They'll love it! This recipe came from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook.
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